Life isn't about how to survive the storm, But how to dance in the rain.

It's interesting how dramatically different one school or one class can be to another. I am constantly comparing my first placement to where I am now, but it's really no comparison because they are different places, with different students/teachers/atmospheres/grades/rules etc. I'm finding that a lot of the things I learned at my first placement are not applicable at my second.

Today I taught a social studies lesson and the students were supposed to follow along with a work sheet that gave step by step directions. They were going to work in their table groups (groups that have been the same way for awhile now). At my last placement I didn't have students work in groups because working in pairs was difficult enough for them. Their maturity level wasn't high enough and even in just pairs they argued or fussed about their other partner. (Now looking back this could have been a great thing to teach about if I would have had more time.) I assumed way to much for the group and after reading a short bit of the reading I directed showed them the sheet that they would be using to guide their time and told them about another sheet they were to complete. Once they got to their groups the noise level rose, it seemed that there was some confusion about what to do, and a few groups had a hard time working together. I underestimated the power of modeling.

To save-face, tomorrow we are going to re-group again but I will explain more about the worksheet and I'm going to model what working a group should look like. We will also talk about what we see and hear when we are in a group and how to help each other.

I came into the placement thinking I knew way more than what I did because I had just done a lot in my first place. My first placement was an awesome learning experience and made me grow a lot as a teacher, and so far my second placement is teaching me even more. From here out I need to, not forget about what I learned at my first placement, but put some of it on the back burner. That way I can focus more on what is happening here and now at a new place and keep reminding myself that each day is a new day and a new slate.